Brendan Rodgers has been singing the praises of Jordon Ibe this week. The Liverpool manager described his young winger as a ‘top-class performer’ and revealed that he’s planning on giving him plenty of time to impress this year.
The 19-year-old spent the first-half of last season on loan at Derby County, impressing with his immense qualities, which looked a class above those around him. Impressively, he then continued that form at Anfield, after returning to the Reds for the final months of our campaign – making 14 appearances in all competitions.
He’s now preparing for his first full season as a Liverpool first-team player, and so far, it couldn’t have gone much better. The former Wycombe man was arguably our stand-out performer during our tour of the Far East and stole the show with a stunning solo goal against the Malaysia XI.
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Speaking to our official website, Rodgers explained why it was important Ibe went out and got some experiences elsewhere last season: “It’s year-on-year improvement. We mustn’t forget he’s still only 19.
“He broke into the team young and had some appearances. We felt he needed a loan, has gone out and did really well. Then when he came back last season he was exceptional in his performances.”
As for the future, Rodgers is optimistic that Ibe can deliver for Liverpool during our upcoming campaign. Despite the prospect of him battling with Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho, Adam Lallana and Lazar Markovic for his place in the team, the Northern Irishman is confident that he’ll deliver.
“I think he really excites the supporters,” he said. “He’s definitely a player that we want to really create into a top-class performer, but we’ve got to give him that time and we’re creating the environment for him to do that.
“You see how exciting he is, but he still has a lot of potential and work to do. He’s one that certainly will feature heavily this year.”